Survival
by DarkHope24
Summary: Hi, I'm Ava...or at least I think I am. I'm not really sure. I've been fighting my way through Titans for so long that I don't know anymore. I think I used to have friends...maybe a family too. All I know is that I have to get back to someone, but I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe you can tell me who I am? May turn into a Romance later if you want...Rated T for my paranoia


**Survival**

_Italics = Ava's Thoughts_

**Prologue - Before Disaster Struck**

A soft breeze blew through the air, ruffling the uneven grass and causing leaves to dance in the sky. The sun shined brightly and the soft blue of the sky was scattered with a minimal amount of clouds, drifting.

Everything was so peaceful, so quiet.

The civilization below, enclosed within 50 meter high concrete walls, was bustling with people, though it still obtained an atmosphere of serenity. There were townsfolk strolling through the farmer's market, getting whatever they needed for that night's dinner.

Everyone felt safe as long as the walls were there, for outside of the walls inhabited the most horrific monsters, Titans. They had the appearance of humans, without any reproductive organs present; however, they ranged from 5 meters high to 15 meters high which was terrifying. They had a habit of eating humans; it was their only instinct and their preferred food.

That's why everyone lived within the walls, for protection against those beasts.

Although most everyone here seemed at peace, for the moment that is, there was one girl who was panicked.

Her brown boots smacked against the rocky ground as she sprinted through the town of Shiganshina.

_Where is he? Where is he?! _

Rounding a corner, the girl slipped on a puddle and fell, scraping her knee in the process. The pain didn't even register in her mind as she quickly got back on her feet and began running again.

Her breaths were coming out uneven and hard as beads of sweat trailed down her temple. She didn't pay any mind to the patches of dirt now stained into her beige shorts or the dried blood on her green t-shirt. Her brown suspenders, one limp at her hip the other still secure on her shoulder, were barely hanging on.

There was dried blood and freshly opened blisters on her knuckles, not to mention the bruises that had begun forming on her lightly tanned skin.

Her scarlet hair was in a tangled ponytail on the back of her head as her grey eyes darted around, trying to find someone that seems to have disappeared.

"Armin!" She yelled, hoping maybe he could hear her.

"Ava!" Was the strangled reply, he was close.

Ava's legs quickened their pace. She was almost there; she could get to him before he was hurt, hopefully.

Eventually, after a few more twists and turns, Ava found Armin pinned to a wall by a brute that was almost twice his size. He was surrounded by his entourage and they were leering at the defenseless boy.

Ava's brows knit together and her lips turned down in a frown.

She stopped just behind them, breathing hard from her run. They didn't even turn to look at her.

A low growl trembled deep within Ava's throat as she glared holes in the back of the bully's head. For a split second, Armin's blue eyes met Ava's grey ones.

Ava reached a delicate hand down to her boot and pulled out a knife, twirling it between her fingers as the silver reflected the light of the sun. Gripping the black handle of the blade, a plan formed in Ava's head.

Bringing her arm back and blowing her bangs out of her eyes, Ava threw the knife.

It landed, buried in the stone of the wall Armin was pinned against, with a crack. There was a small amount of blood on the blade.

The bully's hand flew to his ear where the thick liquid seeped through his fingers from a gash in the cartilage. Ava smirked, glad she hit her target.

"That was a warning," Ava deadpanned, her eyes cold.

The group of older boys whipped around with wide eyes and slack jaws as they stared at her fearfully. Armin slid to the ground clutching his shoulder as he watched Ava with amazed eyes.

"You…you cut me!" The leader accused, still holding his bleeding ear.

"You'll live," Ava scoffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Someone screamed to their right causing them to look in that direction.

It was Erin with a not-so-threatening glare on his face. Ava sighed and shook her head, a fond smile having formed on her face.

Mikasa wasn't far behind, her eyes representing the devil.

"Oh no, he brought HER," The leader cringed. "Let's get out of here!" They all sprinted in the other direction, tripping over each other.

"Ha, even the sight of me gets them running away in fear," Erin grinned, giving a thumbs up and smiling triumphantly.

"Yeah, you're just so daunting," Ava chuckled, winking at Mikasa who smiled back, both shrugging their shoulders at their friend's ridiculousness.

Ava walked over to Armin and knelt in front of him. She put her hands on his shoulders to get his attention. Her eyes portrayed what she was trying to ask him.

He nodded that he was alright.

"Thanks for your help, guys," Armin choked dejectedly, feeling useless.

Ava stared at him concerned for a moment before shaking her head. She'd talk to him about it later. Standing, Ava pulled her knife from the stone wall and wiped the blood on her shorts before putting it back in her boot.

"Are you okay, Ava?" Erin asked gently, placing a hand on her arm when she swayed for a second.

Ava shook her head, trying to regain her composure. "Yeah, I'm fine. Armin and I had been ambushed by those guys awhile ago and we were separated. I got beat up a little but nothing too big. I'll be alright," Ava assured with a small smile. When she was fighting earlier, she had hit her head pretty hard and now she had a migraine.

"Maybe Dr. Jaeger should take a look at it," Mikasa suggested, noticing the small trail of blood coming from a small gash on Ava's forehead.

"Nah, I've had worse. Besides, my mom is a nurse so she'll know how to fix me up," Ava smiled, her eyes squinting with the action and her dimples showing.

"You're dad is going to be really angry with you," Armin pointed out, watching her with worried eyes. Ava dropped her smile.

"Dammit, you're right. Well, let's hope this beating isn't as bad as the last one, right?" Ava tried to joke, hoping to ease their worries. It didn't seem to work, but at least she tried.

Her dad was the town's blacksmith and he had quite the temper. Whenever Ava got into a fight or managed to break something, he would always get really angry with her. Most of the time it ended with Ava being patched up by her mom while her dad tried to apologize for hurting her and promise he'd never do it again.

He always did.

But she loved him anyway because, even though they had their fair share of bad moments, there were a lot of good memories too. He taught her how to fight and defend herself, which is kind of ironic if you think about it since he gets mad whenever she's in a fight. He taught her how to make a proper sword and how to use them.

"Let's go hand out, hold off going home as long as possible," Erin hinted, hoping Mikasa and Armin got his meaning.

They hated what Ava had to go through, just accepting that her dad beats her. Sometimes they would see her with fresh bruises or new bandages and it always broke their hearts a little bit. But, she always insisted that she was fine so they could never interfere.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Ava smiled, grabbing Armin's hand. They were always closer friends than Ava and Erin.

The small group of four was sitting on a little ledge that led to a hill and beyond that was one of the walls. Ava sat with her legs dangling off as she closed her eyes and relished the breeze. It blew her red hair away from her face and she smiled, her dimples showing again.

"What do you suppose it out their? Passed the walls, I mean," Ava whispered, not opening her eyes.

The others looked at her questioningly, but didn't respond. Ava wasn't really expecting a response. She never got one, every time she asked that question, nobody answered.

Armin had tried to a few times, but he could never find the right words.

"I don't think the walls are going to protect us forever," Armin voiced, his gaze distant as he thought about what could happen.

"What do you mean?" Erin asked, both interested and weary.

Ava swiveled around and looked at Armin with her head cocked to the side. She had her knees pulled to her chest and her arms crossed on top of them.

"Well, the walls have lasted for one hundred years. They're not going to work forever and one day we're going to have to venture out there," Armin shrugged, not thinking his opinion mattered much.

"I completely agree, Armin," Ava smiled, her eyes twinkling with the possibility of getting out of the walls.

"Stop talking like that," Mikasa warned harshly, her black bangs shadowing her face.

"Why?" Erin asked, his voice tight. He had his usual glare on his face. It was like he couldn't have any other facial expression.

"Because someone will hear you and most people don't like the thought of the walls not working," Mikasa retorted, calm as ever. It always irritated Ava how she could be so emotionless sometimes, but she would never tell Mikasa that; out of fear or friendship, even Ava wasn't sure.

All of the sudden, there were screams coming from a little ways away.

The four preteens shared a look before bolting to where the screams were coming from.

Ava and Erin pushed their ways through the crowd, not noticing Armin having stopped but Mikasa was still following.

Looking where everyone else was looking, Ava froze and felt her heart beat stop for a second.

There, right in front of her eyes, was a titan. But it was nothing like any description she had ever heard. It was huge, tall enough to stand ten meters over the wall. He looked like it was only made of muscle and bone, no skin to cover it.

Ava didn't know what to do. How was she supposed to react? Scream? Cry? Fight? Run? Panic? Stay frozen and wait for death? She didn't know.

Then, the gate to the wall crashed and the titan's foot took its place. He had just broken through the wall, the titans could get in. Now is the time to panic.

Titans of varying sizes began to come through the large gap in the wall.

People ran away and screamed in fear.

"MOM!" Erin suddenly screamed, his eyes darting around helplessly before he took off in the direction of his house with Mikasa following close behind.

Ava had a similar thought and ran in the opposite direction towards her house.

"Ava, where are you going?!" Armin shouted, causing her to stop in her tracks and glance at him over her shoulder.

"I have to get to my parents and my brother, I'm sorry Armin. Be safe," Ava whispered, already running again before Armin could catch her.

_I have to help them. I saw most of the titans heading this way. I hope they're alright. I'm sorry Armin, but I need my family. You'll be fine, I know it. _Ava thought this as she continued running towards her home. She's been doing that a lot lately.

Her thoughts became a jumbled mess when she saw the wreckage that was her house. Everything was destroyed, reduced to a pile of rubble.

"MOM! DAD!" Ava shouted, tears already streaming down her cheeks as she tried to find them.

"AVA!" She heard her dad reply. He wasn't that far away, she could get to them.

A loud stomp sounded behind her. Ava turned around to see a 15 meter titan looking down at her with its sickening smile. Blood was already dripping between its teeth and down its chin.

Ava gulped, eyes wide in utter fear.

They just stared at each other for what seemed like and eternity, but was really only a couple of seconds.

Ava took in its every detail.

The ashen color of its rough skin that stretched thinly over its thick muscles. Each muscle constricting with movement. The pale brown color of its hair that brushed its bulging shoulders. The manic smile on its face revealing all of its teeth. The blood that leaked and oozed between the crevices of its teeth and trailing down its chin, meaning it had already had an appetizer and Ava was next on the menu. The cold blackness of its eyes chilled Ava to her very core and she was frozen where she stood.

Her mind vaguely registered that the titan was raising its hand, but she still couldn't move. Her eyes saw its arms swinging towards her, ready to grab her, but her body wasn't responding to the screams in her head for her to run.

Suddenly, she felt something pushing her out of the way and the hard impact of the ground seemed to knock Ava out of her stupor.

"DAD! NO!" Ava cried, her throat aching from the force of her voice.

There was her dad, the person who taught her everything she knew, in the grip of the grinning titan. He was struggling, punching and kicking the titans hand, but they both knew it was useless.

"NEVER FORGET THAT I LOVE YOU!" He howled second before the titans clamped its jaw shut, its sharp teeth slicing him in half. His blood mixed with the blood that was already lining its mouth.

A few drops of the crimson liquid landed on Ava's face, swirling with the tears escaping her eyes.

"I love you too," Ava whispered, her throat too dry.

"Ava, honey? I know it's hard, I'm sorry," Her mother comforted, though her voice was tight with unshed tears. She swallowed before continuing. "We need to go."

Ava was trembling, but she managed a small nod. Looking down, she noticed her little brother shaking and crying. He was only seven; he didn't deserve this.

The titan was still standing there, apparently savoring the taste of her father on its tongue. Ava wanted to throw up at the sight. Quickly, she threw her little brother, Shiro, onto her back. His arms wrapped around her neck and tightened until they were almost suffocating her, but Ava didn't complain.

Shiro buried his head into Ava's shoulder as she supported his legs around her waist with her arms. They began running as fast as they could.

The titan seemed to have realized that they were running away because it began to run after them. It tripped over a building and began to fall, reaching out a hand to hopefully grab one of them but just being out of range.

Ava was way ahead of her mother, who was having trouble running in her dress.

"Mom, hurry up!" Ava insisted over her shoulder, noticing she wasn't next to her.

"Listen to me, Ava! I need you to get to the boats no matter what. Retreat behind wall Maria, you'll be okay! I may not make it, but you need to protect Shiro and yourself at all costs!" Ava's mother admitted, tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't do that! I already lost dad, I will not lose you too," Ava decided, stopping in her running. She turned around and watched her mom struggled to run. "C'mon, you can do it mom! Push through it."

"AVA RUN!" Her mom screeched, actually glaring at her daughter. "I LOVE YOU AND YOU NEED TO LIVE!"

Ava wanted to object again, but she didn't have time because they were surrounded by titans a moment later.

Ava whipped her head in every direction but there was no way out where both her and her mother could escape. She looked back at her mother, noticing the accepting look she was getting. "I'm sorry, I love you," Ava whispered before turning around and running.

"I will always love you," She heard her mother croak from behind her.

Looking over her shoulder, Ava watched as her mother got eaten by the same titan who at her father.

Ava shut down, no more tears and no more screaming. Her only priority was making sure her brother got to safety, even if she didn't.

One titan's hand shot out in front of her; Ava kicked off the ground and jumped over it before it could grab her. Landing in a crouch, Ava sprinted forwards again only to have to dodge another blood covered hand. She slid across the ground, making sure her brother didn't get hurt; Ava could feel the skin peeling off her leg and rocks being embedded into the tender flesh as blood coated it, but she didn't care. Maneuvering around titan after titan, Ava didn't hesitate for a second.

Finally away from most of the titans, Ava increased her running to get to the boats to wall the inner wall Maria.

"I can do this," Ava persisted, her brows knit together in concentration. Her grip on Shiro tightened as she felt like he was slipping. "You doing okay, little buddy?" She asked, trying to make her voice seem light and happy even though she was far from it.

She felt his meek nod on her shoulder.

Ava saw the crowd of people who were trying to get on the boats and she knew right away that not everybody was going to be able to get onto them. One had already left and the second one was almost full, and still over half the town was left to get to safety.

Ava pushed her way through the crowd, stomping on a few toes and knocking a few people over, but she didn't seem to notice or care.

"Please, is there any room left?" Ava asked desperately, her eyes pleading.

"Sorry, no room," The soldier looked at her with pity. She was just a kid and she was going to die, how could he not pity her?

Ava shook her head. "Okay, fine. Not enough room for me, okay whatever. But can you please get him on," She gesture to her frightened brother with her head. "He needs to be on that boat, please."

The guard looked at her for a moment, thinking. He noticed how distressed Ava was and how she was willing to put her brother's safety above her own really moved him. "Okay, I can get him on the boat," He finally agreed, still slightly unsure.

"Thank you, thank you. Just, find Armin Arlett and tell him that Ava asked him to take care of Shiro, okay? Armin Arlet, he'll know what to do," Ava stressed, handing Shiro over to the soldier.

"No, Avy! Don't leave me!" Shiro squealed, frowning and reaching his hands out to her. Tears were flowing down his cheeks like waterfalls.

"Shhh, it's okay," Ava kissed his forehead. "You remember Armin, right?" Shiro nodded, still crying. "He'll take great care of you, and I promise I'll see you again." She smiled, fighting back more tears.

"No! NO! AVY!" Shiro screamed and struggled in the guards grip, but it was useless.

"I love you!" Ava choked, tears finally spilling over. She just lost the last of her family.

The guard was calling Armin's name over and over.

"I'm over here," Armin deadpanned, still shocked about what Erin looked like when he saw him.

"Armin Arlett? This is Shiro, Ava said you would take care of him," The guard informed, handing the crying seven year old to Armin.

"Shiro? But where's Ava?" Armin asked.

"What's Shiro doing here?" Erin monotone, still shaken. He ruffled the red hair on top of Shiro's head but he couldn't manage a smile, none of them could.

"And why isn't Ava with him?" Mikasa inquired, looking around for their scarlet hair friend.

"ARMIN!" Someone screamed at them.

They recognized that voice. Looking over, all their eyes widened to see Ava standing at the very edge of the canal waving her arms at them.

"AVA! GET ON THE BOAT!" But it had already started moving.

"THERE'S NO ROOM! JUST, TAKE CARE OF SHIRO! I PROMISE I'LL BE BACK!" She vowed, tears in her eyes.

They were closing the gates, so there was still a chance that they could see her again.

The gate was almost closed, then all of the sudden there was another crash and that could only mean one thing. Ava slowly turned around to see another abnormal titan that was similar to the Colossal Titan, but it was shorter and covered in gold armor.

…The gate was destroyed and there was nothing to stop the titans from coming in.

Ava watched, terrified, as titan after titan filed through the wall.

"AVA!" Erin, Mikasa, and Armin all exclaimed, tears running down all their faces at the sight of their friend helpless and being surrounded by the man-eating beasts.

"I can't lose anyone else! Ava!" Erin insisted, trying to get to the end of the boat so he could save his friend. He couldn't save his mom, but he could try to save Ava.

Mikasa held him back. "There's nothing you can do at this point, I'm sorry Erin," She soothed, rubbing his back.

"Avy," Shiro whimpered, burying his face into the fabric of Armin's shirt. Armin pat his head as he looked on, wide-eyed and stunned, as the scene disappeared behind a walk of rock.

They were safe behind wall Rose, but Ava was still out there.

Ava stood stiff, helpless as the remaining townspeople were surrounded by the titans.

She narrowed her eyes in determination, she made a promise and she didn't plan on breaking it any time soon.


End file.
